The Effect of Venom
by HotHistorian
Summary: When a snake at Soma's coming-of-age party bites Ciel, it's up to a certain butler to put Ciel back to rights. Emotional and Physical Hurt/Comfort, Graphic.
1. Chapter 1

**The Effect of Venom

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**Summary: **When a snake at Soma's birthday party bites Ciel, it's up to a certain butler to put Ciel back to rights. Emotional and Physical Hurt/Comfort, Graphic.

**Notes: ** This story accompanies the anime and manga of Kuroshitsuji, but mainly resides in the anime-verse. I have not been able to get my hand on a copy of Kuroshitsuji the manga because it is very hard to find around here. I haven't been able to find it any Books a Million or Barnes and Noble or even at any decrepit bookshops.

I have used a murder case back from 1896. It was probably the most horrific from that time…and it fits right in around the time of Kuroshitsuji. She's sometimes thought to be a "Jill the Ripper," of a woman, but in my opinion, she's almost worse than the infamous Jack. 1896…why 1896? I've read somewhere that Kuroshitsuji is based sometime around 1888. However, I haven't found this to be confirmed anywhere. Queen Victoria's reign lasted from 1837 to 1901. Albert died about 20 years after they were married but in the anime, we have the understanding that Prince Albert is dead. We also get the idea that she is older especially when we see her "dying," around Ash. I'm putting this around the 1890s just for accuracy and for the sake of my story. Ciel is 14.

If this story does well (I hope I don't drag it out too long) I might write another story (hurt/comfort obviously, but more on the emotional side) about Ciel and Sebby dealing with the case of the "Baby Butcher." It would make for a very emotional story, I would think. Lots and lots of angst.

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**Disclaimer: **Oh no, I do not own Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler, no matter how much I wish I did. I swear, that show stirs up some of the most romantic, fangirlishness I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Yana Toboso gets major points for this series, though I do have to admit I loved her Rust Blaster as well even though it ended poorly.

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The scritching and scratching of the pen against the monogrammed parchment was beginning to tire Ciel. The report of the latest case was lengthy and, as usual, much more tedious than the actual event, although more positive in a sense. He felt his eyelids droop felt a drip of ink land against the tip of his index finger.

He sighed and grabbed an ink blotting cloth on the side of the desk. He wiped off his finger and began again: "We have thusly solved the case of the 'Baby Butcher,' otherwise known as the infamous Amelia Dyer (1). The police report states that she was hung at Newgate Prison after her insanity plea was rejected. And good riddance…" He scratched out that last part. Too informal.

It was a terrible and abhorrent scene one that made him ill afterwards, and rendered him indisposed for the next few days. Sebastian had left him alone as he had said he wished, but in reality he wanted someone to wash away the nightmares of the infants' transparent and emaciated bodies, their mouths open as if they were trying desperately to cry, but couldn't. He remembered the white edging tape wrapped tightly about their necks like tightened nooses. Dyers had stated that, "that was how you could tell it was one of hers." He had remembered the smell the most: the house of "Mrs. Thomas," had reeked of disposed bodies; Ciel could hardly walk into her house at Reading (2) without gagging.

After unearthing the trafficked bodies and getting the help of Fred Abberline with Scotland Yard, he decided his job was done and left the premises as soon as he was able. Sebastian had insisted carrying him to the carriage, but Ciel had resisted this and forced himself to stagger into the carriage with the help of his cane. He would not lose his dignity in front of Scotland Yard. The ride back to the mansion made him ill and they had to stop mid-way. The fresh air was the only thing that made Ciel feel better; it was such a jarring change from the odor of death clouting them as they entered the house.

Once back home, Ciel remembered Sebastian help taking off his shoes, socks, necktie, and clothes, and allowing him to slip into his nightshirt even though it was far from his usual resting hour. Yet Sebastian did it all without question, without even so much as an explanation for his silence. And this sort of "take charge and ask no questions," behavior resumed into the 5th day of April.

Every appointment was canceled up until Easter and he was forced to make a public appearance on Easter Sunday, much to his and Sebastian's chagrin. Easter was never a day that Sebastian liked, and no wonder. If there was a place Sebastian would not venture, it was a church or cathedral, which was where Ciel always needed to be on Easter Sunday.

This was merely a formality to keep up appearances with high society, but it wasn't one either of them enjoyed, and Ciel despised it doubly this day due to this case. By the following Monday, Ciel was back on duty and resuming his work as the Queen's dog. His report would be filed on this day...if only he could get his mind on it. He longed so much for a distraction.

That distraction came when there was a soft knock on the door. "My Lord? There's a letter here for you." Ciel sighed in relief and said, "Fine, come in." Sebastian, donning the usual uniform, expression, and style, brought in the letter. Something was strange about this letter though, for it's envelope's style was too personal and almost pretentious.

"It's a letter Prince Soma, my Lord. It appears to be an invitation of some sort," Sebastian said, eyeing the purple and flowery envelope as Ciel cracked the wax seal. After Ciel opened it the envelope and eyed its contents he said, "It looks like we are invited to Prince Soma's coming-of-age party on April the 23rd. It seems as though he's been writing to his family about his 'friends in England,' and they, all 25 of his brothers and sisters, will be there. I can barely stand one Prince Soma, let alone 25 of them. Perhaps if I'm lucky there will be another series of murders and I'll be called upon again by the Queen."

This dark joke did not go overlooked by Sebastian, but he said nothing. Ciel had been relatively quiet up until this point about the disturbing murder case, but he hadn't expected any jokes to come from him. Humans were so strange and difficult to understand sometimes.

"It also says, 'I do not want any presents!'" Ciel read aloud. "He'll be expecting something; I suppose we'll have to make a special trip into London to find him a present."

Sebastian allowed a smirk to creep over his face. Although Prince Soma had humbled quite a lot since his arrival to England, he was still "Prince Soma," and there was nothing that could change that.

"I'll make arrangements to head out to London tomorrow, my Lord—"

"No," Ciel interrupted. "Today. I'll finish this report later tonight. I don't want to look at the report anymore at this time."

Sebastian cocked an eyebrow, but nodded and said, "Very good, My Lord. We shall go out immediately." Avoidance—Ciel didn't want the memories associated with the latest case, and that was understandable. However, Ciel was already late with the report and by the time it came to the Queen, she would probably have heard of the case simply by word-of-mouth. That would not sit well with her.

Sebastian retrieved Ciel's overcoat and top hat and ordered Bard to fetch the carriage. Within minutes, they were off. It was obvious that Ciel was relieved to be back in the fresh-air and out of the mansion. _Perhaps this will be good for the young Master, _Sebastian thought as he launched upwards towards the driver's seat of the carriage. _Perhaps it will lighten his mood. _

Or maybe only time could tell. No one, not even his butler could predict Ciel's future mood, much less understand his current one. Regardless, allowing him this leisure would be a fair attempt at lifting his spirits.

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**Notes: **1) Amelia Dyers is known as one of the most notorious murderesses EVER. Look it up on Wikipedia. I got my info from a scholarly article as well as Wiki. It's extremely disturbing. The woman was thought to have almost or over 400 victims at least. 2) Reading is the location of the home that was finally raided by police in 1896. It was said she was about to move to Somerset which means she had killed so many children that it was starting to "show" (smell as well) in the house. She would dispose of the bodies, but not before they started to smell. EUGH. Very, very disturbing. She was a greedy and morbid sadist. Look it up as to "why" she killed children. "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil."

**Author's Notes: **I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of The Effect of Venom. Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

**The Effect of Venom

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**Summary: **When a snake at Soma's birthday party bites Ciel, it's up to a certain butler to put Ciel back to rights. Emotional and Physical Hurt/Comfort, Graphic.

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**Notes:** I probably should've warned you guys, but I didn't. I'm in college (an English major so this is good practice for me) so my updates will be a little longer than most would like. I apologize for this. I'm just very, very busy. Plus, I've got finals coming up. It's going to be bad this semester but not too terrible next.

**Disclaimer: **I _wish_ I owned Kuroshitsuji, but sadly I do not. What I wouldn't give to have a hot-ass butler at my heels…damn.

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The shopping trip into London had been a success. They had found the best "humble," gift they could find for Soma's birthday. It was an emerald newly arrived (or rather smuggled; it was a black market gift, and had a great price at that) from Venezuela. Scotland Yard would lose sight of it once it came into Prince Soma's property. The police would hardly dare to intrude upon a foreign Prince's home in England.

April 23rd approached as rapidly as ever, Ciel became distinctly moodier. Sebastian had to note that his Master's displeasure was evident through his cloudy eyes and ice-cold demeanor. He had been even more reclusive since the "Baby Butcher," incident.

He had been more disturbed by the talks around town about it: they called her "Jill the Ripper," instead of the dear Jack. He knew Jack. Jack was never "Jack," but "Jack," was Angeline Durless, otherwise known as Madame Red, or Ciel's own aunt. It was greed, hatred, and pain that lead her to commit those murders, and Ciel didn't wish to remember those horrid, nightmarish times. Jack was also Grell, but Grell was another entity separate from Angeline.

On the morning of the 23rd, it was like any other day. Sebastian gently shook his master awake. Ciel grunted, pulled the covers over his head and started to fall back to sleep. Sebastian, as persistent as ever, flipped the comforter off of him, tsked, and watched him rise. Ciel gave him a dirty look, asked what the time was, and received a swift, "6:30 AM, My Lord." Ciel groaned and asked for a brief overview of that day's schedule, was given a quick summary, and then requested for his day clothes.

Sebastian helped Ciel put on his undergarments, undershirt, dress shirt, dress pants, garment straps, socks, his shoes, buckled them, his neck tie, and finally his blue and black accented dress coat. While Ciel had been sleeping, Sebastian had pushed in a cart of light breakfast goodies – a light tasting baked custard and cinnamon sprinkles, with a slightly more tart raspberry (with drizzle) on top. A side biscuit and a modest tea were offered on the side, but without Bergamot. Earl Grey or anything similar was not exactly the most pleasant tea to have in your stomach at, now, 6:37 AM.

By 8:30, Ciel had woken up, dressed, ate breakfast, and been forced to read two letters from none other than civilians who claimed, "that they had a case," for the Queen's Dog. He read over both of them and responded with the answers to their cases such as: "Dear Mr. Houndsworth, the ring is not missing, she is simply having an affair. Hire a private detective to handle such matters, not I," and "Scotland Yard is better suited to this robbery, my dear Ms. Feathers. Do not hesitate to contact them. I apologize for my limited time."

By 11:50, Ciel had successfully gone through the piles of paperwork and red tape regarding the Funtom Factory: its workers, its production, and of course, it's politics. At 12:00, it was time for lunch - Galantine of veal was served, along with a side salad, black currant jam with butter-soaked toast, and sponge cake with a whipped fruit filling. Exemplary, as always.

By 2:45, Ciel had successfully completed his tutoring session with Sebastian. Today's lesson had been over the artists of the 18th century. Ciel rarely appreciated art, although oil portraiture was his most favorite kind of artwork. He only preferred art that appeared to do a masterful job of representing the object or person they were supposed to represent. Sebastian had kept up with his curriculum, so that was another thing checked off of today's and his schooling's checklist.

By 3:00, it was time to start getting ready for Soma's birthday party. This was something Ciel had been dreading all day long. It had been nagging him at the back of his mind and the feeling of doom had plagued him more and more throughout the day. Now, he only wished for Sebastian to whisk him away from this place so he did not have to deal with…people.

Soma was a much more annoying…person. Ciel could not fathom 25 more Somas. Would they all be like his brother? Or would he find pleasant contrasts? His only comfort was the fact that Sebastian would go with him. It was highly unlikely anything horrible would happen to him tonight. He would simply have to deal with the irritations that came with Soma…and his family.

Ciel would be counting the minutes. That was certain. For the party, Ciel donned a black coat with red accents with a dark blue necktie. The black coat had a short bustle in the back of it. He wore black, shiny shoes with silver buckles. On his head he adorned a smaller top hat (with a red ribbon wrapped around the base) that rested on the side of his head, stuck by pins.

Oh, Ciel had complained enormously at this – the pins dug into his scalp. He jerked and yelped anytime Sebastian stuck them in his hair. "My Lord, I'm afraid they have to go in this way. I would be able to get this done much faster if you'd refrain from bouncing off the footstool every time I put one in," Sebastian had said. Ciel growled irritably in return and resorted to clamping his hands around the stool, making himself less apt to jump.

By 4:00, Bardroy had been summoned to retrieve the carriage. He brought it around front where the famous Queen's Dog Duo waited. Maylene and Finnian had waved goodbye to them as Ciel entered it and Sebastian launched himself up into the driver's seat. "We'll be back no later than 12:00," Ciel had said. Alas, what a lie that was.

The drive to Prince Soma's summer home was not only wonderfully uneventful but also remarkably smooth. Sebastian was a wonderful driver, but never this good. When Ciel had stepped out at the entrance to Soma's summer home and looked out at the road, he realized it had finally been paved. "It's about time," he muttered.

The first mistake Ciel made was getting out of the carriage. "Ciel!" A scream and a banshee's giggle came from the direction of the lovely manor and out from under the heavily decorated awning was a pink figure running towards them. "Oh God, Sebastian, Soma invited Lizzie! Remind me to kill the bastard-of-a-prince when Agni's asleep." Sebastian would've gladly agreed if this were an order.

"Oh Ciel, oh Ciel, oh Ciel!" Lizzie shrieked. She threw her arms around his neck causing him to teeter precariously towards the ground. "Oh Ciel, you're here! Oh, and you look so cute!" She let go of him just enough to observe his clothing. "You look so adorable; I could just eat you up!" Ciel could've sworn he heard Sebastian mutter, " _That will be my pleasure…_" or maybe he was simply imagining it.

"W-What are you doing here?" Ciel asked her and she replied, "Well, that nice Prince Soma invited me, Ciel." She tilted her blonde head and her pink bonnet along with it. "He was so kind in his letter and he said that you were friends, almost like brothers, so it was best to invite his fiancé! And here I am!" She giggled. "And here you are…" Ciel mumbled sourly. What a wonderful way to start the evening.

"Oh Ciel!" Another happy-go-lucky soul, this one with tan skin and a small golden coronet nestled in his dark hair, started running up to both Sebastian and Ciel, followed by his white-haired, hand-bound, turban-sporting butler. "Haha! You made it, Ciel!" Ciel felt his hand becoming numb from clutching his cane so hard. He had such an urge to smack Soma across the face with it.

"Ahh!" Soma gasped, looking at the small present in Sebastian's hands. "Is that a gift for me? Why, Ciel, you shouldn't have! I mean, I told you I didn't need one didn't I?" Even as he said this, Ciel couldn't resist smirking at Soma's greedy face. "Give it to Agni, Sebastian. He'll know where to put it." Sebastian did as he was told, however, he was given by Agni, his _friend_ of this world, a quick greeting.

"It's so good to see you again, Sebastian!" Agni said, taking the box. "You look daring as always! If the prince wishes us to spar tonight, I hope you're ready. I have trained even harder – and my hand has gotten twice as strong as before! I shall not lose!" Sebastian plastered the fake human smile onto his face and said, "I cannot wait. Perhaps I'll beat you in ten minutes instead of five." Agni's face fell comically.

Elizabeth and Soma both took Ciel by the arms and began to _drag_ him into the manor. Ciel was dreading the hoard of one too many Somas and _their_ servants. His only prayer was that he would escape the night alive.

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**Notes: **Sorry for the delay in this chapter (see top author's notes) – I've also got another _odd_ story I'm working on for a friend, so I will have to update that one first before the next chapter gets out. I hope you enjoy this! Please read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

**The Effect of Venom**

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**Summary: **When a snake at Soma's birthday party bites Ciel, it's up to a certain butler to put Ciel back to rights. Emotional and Physical Hurt/Comfort, Graphic.

**Notes:** THE BITING STARTS HERE! Couldn't wait to get to this part. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of this story. I'm so sorry for my absence: I was busy with my original story (not to be presented on I'm afraid; to be published) and showing my academic prowess at college, lol.

**Disclaimer: **I _wish_ I owned Kuroshitsuji, but sadly I do not. What I wouldn't give to have a hot-ass butler at my heels…damn.

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After Ciel had been dragged into the house, someone took off his coat and then offered to take Sebastian's coat, but Sebastian politely declined. _He probably has an army's worth of silverware in his suit_, Ciel thought. _Not sure if we'll need it tonight, but with Soma, we can never know._ As they entered the foyer, Agni, back from taking the box to it's designated area, lead them into the dining hall.

Once there, Agni announced their names to the room in their native tongue of Bengali. Ciel had never heard anything quite like it, but Sebastian looked on nonchalantly, like none of this, the language, the room, or the people, surprised him at all.

There were no chairs at all. There were, instead, four very low communal tables surrounding the room with gigantic and ornate pillows that 25 beautiful, ugly, fat, skinny, dark-haired, light haired, but nearly all tanned, brothers and sisters of Prince Soma sat on.

Ciel allowed Sebastian to memorize which brother or sister was who, and not worry himself about such an annoying task. After all, tonight was only an appearance—it's not like he would make any life-long friends here. He didn't expect any benefits from these people, save for more exotic products on an open market. No arse-kissing required.

Ciel greeted just about everyone he could around the room, and he was surprised at how different they all were. Some were humble, unlike Soma, some were pompous, some were shy, and some were aggressive. _I suppose that's what one receives when you have many different wives, _Ciel thought.

Ciel was seated next to Soma, his sister (a black-haired beauty with golden clasps knotted and tied into her hair), and Lizzy sat across from him. Sebastian busied himself with helping Agni serve the large group Agni's magnificent curry, gourmet breads from London specialty shops, and some of the best spicy vegetable casseroles ever to grace a table.

Ciel picked at his food. It wasn't that he didn't like the food presented, but he hadn't been eating well as of late…ever since that Dyers case in Reading. He wanted to forget all about the case and the nightmares that followed suit, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to get the white faces, blue lips, and the putrid smell of the rotting infant corpses out of his mind.

"Ciel?" Lizzy asked, in between mouthfuls of curry. "Are you not hungry? Don't you love this delicious food? Sebastian and Agni have really outdone themselves!" "No, I'm not," Ciel said quietly, pushing a piece of marinated broccoli around on his plate. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"Oh," Lizzy said, obviously disappointed in his lack of enthusiasm. She continued to eat, but took smaller bites, eying Ciel every now and again. Sebastian noticed this too and made a mental note: Ciel would probably want to escape the party before ten, at the very least.

Lizzy tried to strike up a conversation with several of the princesses and princes, all of whom seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, but to her dismay, she found that not a single one of them besides Soma himself could speak fluent English. She tried gesturing and making faces to start a conversation without language, but they would simply stare at her then go back eating the delicious food.

After everyone seemed to have finished the large feast, Soma clapped his hands and said in Hindi, "Wonderful! Now that we have finished our meal, let us join in festivities!" Agni, Sebastian, and various other servants (those that had seemed to have been brought by the other princes and princesses of India) began to clear the leftover food and tables from the center of the large room.

Once cleared, a series of scantily clad dancers walked in, accompanied by several Indian musicians. They situated themselves in one unoccupied corner of the room while the dancers situated themselves in front of the audience, giggling amongst themselves, making seductive gestures at the men and waving their transparent red scarves around like it was some mating ritual.

_I thought this was supposed to be a coming of age party, not a bachelor's night out, _Ciel thought irritably. He could only imagine what _other_ entertainment Soma had planned for this evening.

The music started and the dancing girls began their routine, occasionally flailing their silks in front of Soma's face, and occasionally giving him a particularly sexy routine. Ciel was subject to one of these dances too, and he immediately flushed crimson turning his head away. But no, the dancer was having none of it! She was a forceful one; with the use of one finger, she turned his face towards hers, and he had no choice but to watch every seductive and sultry move she laid on him.

Ciel, fully embarrassed, turned his eyes away from the girl, and looked at Lizzy. She had fat, angry tears rolling down her cheeks. He had been _forced_ to look at another woman; it wasn't _his_ fault. This was going complicate things. She remained seated, much to his relief. Running out of the room would've caused a distraction and even more embarrassment than Ciel had already suffered.

The dancers finally dispersed out of the room and in came a new set of entertainers: snake charmers. A pair came out, and then finally, an elaborately dressed third. He was obviously _not _Indian. In fact, his face was incredibly pale, almost white. He was fully clothed in what looked like _circus _wear, with many snakes wrapped around his arms, his shoulders, and even a very small one wrapped around his ear.

The two snake charmers on either side, each holding one albino snake, began to pull out and play their hypnotic flutes. The snake charmer in the middle, the odd one, his specialty being cobras, began an eye-popping routine of dancing with his snakes. He made them slide down his wiry legs and somehow, without music, save for the two charmers' flutes on either side, the snakes began to "dance," puffing out their bellies and expanding their necks, then waving their bodies back and forth, paying the utmost attention to their master.

The performance was nearly hypnotizing in itself, the music flowing freely and the snakes' bodies flowing with it. The room was silent and in awe of the amazing performance. Their eyes were on the odd snake charmer, and no one else.

This would be their mistake only Sebastian would catch.

One of the albino snakes of the one of the two charmers on either side of the master snake charmer began to disobey its master. In fact, it found the crowd far more interesting than the music or its master. The master simply stopped his flute playing and bowed his head. The snake began to make its tracks around the crowd, but no one seemed to notice, nor did they think that this was something to be concerned about. They were too busy looking at the master snake charmer, his fluid movements, and the movements of his snakes, of interest to everyone.

Out of all the people who were paying attention, it was Sebastian who had spotted the stray snake first. He eyed it and carefully scaled the walls, wondering where the snake was heading and if any of the guests were in danger. He saw it slither under the material of a very large pillow, which a very fat prince sat on.

Sebastian grimaced and hurried forward, trying to follow it behind the guests without being noticed. He lost sight of it momentarily, but whenever he saw the familiar rustle of material and the tail move across the stone floor, he knew whom the snake had slithered behind: Ciel.

Ciel's face immediately went red as he felt the scales slide across his leg and glared at the woman next to him. "Not _you_ too-Augh!" Ciel let out a cry of pain and doubled over in his sitting position, clutching his calf that the snake had abandoned.

Sebastian, always handy with the forks and knives, took three out from under his sleeve, and threw them into the snake's body. It stopped moving. Sebastian came forward and observed his targets: one fork stabbed its head, one fork stabbed its neck, and the other stabbed its belly. Blood began to soak the floor.

A scream echoed around the room, and instead of the scream coming from Ciel, Lizzy, or a frightened princess, it came from the odd snake charmer. After the scream quieted down, the snake charmer made a very odd comment: "Said Emily."

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**Author's Notes: **OMG, I apologize for taking such a long time on this. Please forgive me and enjoy this chapter! :D Read and review! If you've kept up with the Kuroshitsuji manga, you'll understand the relevance of the last line from the master snake charmer.


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